Ruth O'Neil's Blog, page 29

The Dreaded Family Photo

Have you ever come across that website that publishes awkward family pictures? Yes, some of them are hilarious, but I do have to wonder if some of them are doctored; some can't possibly be legitimate! I laugh at these pictures because I have a collection of my own family photo bombs. Some of them are posted in this blog for your viewing pleasure. (Disclaimer: You might want to empty your bladder first.)

I was looking through some old photos the other day and came across a series of pictures of my brother and me during Christmas “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.” My mom thought it would be a good idea to get a shot of us looking through the Wish Book that she could use for our family Christmas card. Obviously, as you can see, there were no appropriate pictures. We couldn’t stop fooling around. Normal kids.   Those pictures reminded me of family pictures since then. I am so not photogenic! There are no good pictures of me. So when we have to take a family picture, I dread it for weeks beforehand. Either someone ends up not looking in the same direction as everyone else (my husband), or someone is making a goofy face (my son), or someone just looks bad all the way around (me).    (Ooops! Off-Center)
(Can I look a little grumpier?)   (Umm...no.)  (I'm too tense, The Boy's too goofy, but that's typical.) I won't even talk about the time my sisters and I had the brilliant idea of getting a picture of us done for my Dad for Father's Day. Yup. That went well, too. Those pictures have been deleted FOREVER!
So a few weeks ago my husband had the big idea to do another family Christmas photo. Yes, I realize our kids are getting older and soon they will be off on their own and won’t necessarily be available to have a picture done altogether. I still am not looking forward to it. I guess we’ll see what happens this year.
For those of you who receive Christmas cards from us, there may or may not be a family photo included. If there is not, you will know how the photo session turned out.
 

Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt

I have worked with Write Integrity Press and Pix-N-Pens on a couple of book compilations. However, this one was THE MOST FUN EVER! Several  WIP and PNP authors wrote a chapter for a Christmas novella. There was a contest for a new author to add a chapter. The winner was announced as Marji Clubine. You can read the official announcement here
http://writeintegrity.blogspot.com/2012/11/winner-of-christmas-tree-treasure-hunt.html

Stay tuned for further announcements about this book and how you can read the story.

Colorblind

Just in case you don’t already know, “The Boy” is my son. I often share stories that concern him because he can be so entertaining. He is one of those unplanned surprises where I was glad God was in charge and not me. This story is typical for him. This past weekend at church our youth had an immersion. This is where the youth camp out and immerse themselves in the Word, studying one book of the Bible. The Boy connected with one of the adult leaders, Nathaniel, and he is now The Boy’s new best friend. All his talking about the immersion included Nathaniel. 

When we were leaving were leaving church Sunday night, Nathaniel happened to be walking down the sidewalk. The Boy told me, “Slow down and roll down your window.” He pointed at Nathaniel, giving him the evil eye. I’m really not sure what that was about. The Boy is kind of scrawny looking and too goofy to be very threatening.  
The rest of the ride home revolved around Nathaniel. Then The Boy commented on the rest of the family, who also attends our church. “It’s funny that they have the three older boys and then Priscilla is so much younger.” 
“Umm, she’s adopted.” 
“She is? I didn’t know that.” 
I just looked at him. “Really? Have you not looked at her parents? Does she look anything like them?” 
You see Priscilla’s and Nathaniel’s parents are missionaries to Pohnpei in Micronesia. Priscilla is a native of the island who they adopted as a baby. The parents are white. There is an obvious difference in skin tones, among other things. 
In some ways, this makes me proud of my son that he doesn’t notice what a person looks like. He is only concerned with friendship. If only we could all be so colorblind.
On the other hand, there are a lot of time he makes me just roll my eyes and wonder.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, and More Tomatoes

I just finished a three day canning marathon, thanks to my sister-in-law who brought me 6 crates of tomatoes and a bushel of green beans. I haven’t been able to do a lot of canning lately since I can’t have a garden. We live in the middle of the city and have more critters here than in the country. Groundhogs eat absolutely everything. Anyway, doing all that canning brought back a lot of memories of summer days when I was a child and would help my mother can tomatoes.  

There was one time in particular that stands out in my mind. We had been working for a couple of days and our antique dining room table was full of beautifully canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce…until the table leg broke allowing many of the jars to fall crashing to the floor, breaking and leave a huge mess. Tomatoes were everywhere! My mom screamed and then she ran crying to her bedroom. I cleaned up the mess knowing she was heartbroken over the loss of time, food, and money.
When Dad came home from work I filled him in and he went to check on Mom. A few minutes later he came back and told me to fix some spaghetti for dinner. There was only one box of pasta in the pantry and it didn’t look like the usual size. I went to ask Mom how much to cook and she just told me not to bother her. I went to ask Dad how much to cook and he said, and I quote, “Just cook the whole box.” Well, I did. It was a 5-pound box of spaghetti. Now, for anyone who eats pasta knows that 5 pounds is A LOT, even for our family members that had very healthy appetites. Mom was upset about that, too. I blamed it on Dad. 
When my husband and I bought our house we inherited that old, antique table. The leg is fixed, but you can still see where it broke all those years ago. When I did all my canning this past weekend, I set NOTHING on that table and all my jars are safely stored away.

Olympic Dreams

The TV at our house has pretty much been on constantly since the Olympics began. I enjoy seeing the world come together just for fun – I wish it could happen outside of sports. The games are addicting to watch, even if what’s on isn’t my favorite sport. My favorites include volleyball and gymnastics. As I sit and watch the American women try to fulfill their dreams, I am reminded of dreams of young girls all across the world, even to a little town, that no one's ever heard of, called Jordan. 
Every four years my sisters and I would watch the Olympic gymnastics and then go outside and try to emulate them. We were not successful. In the ‘80’s we watched Mary Lou Retton and she was the one we wanted to be like. We set up a 2x4 in the yard and pretended it to be our balance beam. We would perform all our tricks and then score each other to see who would get the gold medal. Well, you know the old saying, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt!”
One time in particular stands out in my mind. While doing the balance beam routine one of us, who will remain nameless, fell off the balance beam. While this gymnast may have felt like a winner, the sprained ankle was the definite loser, growing to the size of an orange as the result of the fall. Keep in mind, the 2x4 was flat on the ground so there wasn’t far to fall. How one can accomplish that feat deserves a gold medal in spite of performance!
While I don’t remember badminton being an Olympic sport when I was a child, it is now. Badminton was another one of our favorite pastimes, and still is when we get together over the summer. I think us sisters could give the Olympic competitors a run for their money in badminton…at least in my mind.  
The Summer Olympics are almost over for another four years. Enjoy them. Recall Olympic memories from your childhood. Tell them to your family and laugh over them if necessary. It’s never too late to fulfill your dreams, even if it is all in your head.

The Graduation Gift

It’s graduation season! I’m excited about it this year as my second child finishes her high school career. She has definitely accomplished something and since I homeschool my kids, I feel that I have accomplished something as well.   

One of our local radio stations recently had people call in with the story of the most meaningful gift you ever had ever received. Perhaps it was because graduation was on my mind, I immediately thought of my graduation present from my mother. 
She and my grandmother had been out shopping and had just returned when I got home from school. My mother asked me to help get things out of the trunk. There was a surprise waiting there for me. She had bought me an electric typewriter.  
Yes, I know, that’s no big deal these days, but it was to me then. Not only had my mom scrimped and saved to buy me a gift, that gift showed that she had faith in me and in my writing. She was supporting me. It was on that typewriter that I typed out the first article I ever sold. I have been able to work (and make money) doing something that I love doing. What a blessing it was for me to have someone that wanted to see me succeed! That was a great help in getting where I am today. 
For all of those that are graduating this year – Congratulations! Just don’t give up on your dreams. Find what makes you happy in life. If you can get paid to do that you too, will truly be blessed!

Are We There Yet?

It is said that the sense of smell is the greatest factor in bringing back memories. The other night my husband brought home a surprise for all of us – a pop-up camper. I sat and watched as he and our son put it up. When I entered the smell brought me back to my childhood. This camper smelled exactly the same as the camper my family had while I was growing up.  

Sitting in that camper, pictures of memories came to my mind. Most just made me smile, but one made me laugh. On the way to one campsite we had a little problem. One of the wheels of the camper came off. I remember watching as the damaged tire rolled away. Dad pulled over and put on the spare tire before we continued on our journey. However, it wasn’t long before the other tire fell apart and we left the rubber alongside the road. 
We didn’t have another spare and no place was open where we could get a new one. So…Dad kept driving to the campsite. The absence of that tire caused a horrible scraping noise and a fireworks show as we drove down the road. You can imagine the attention we received; fortunately none by the police. I believe I remember thinking to myself, “Are we there yet?” 
When we arrived at the campgrounds one of the families we were camping with let us borrow their spare tire. But the trip home after camping was eerily similar. We lost our original spare. Being Sunday, again no place was open where we could stop. 
“We can make it home,” Dad said.  
Once again, sparks were flying as we noisily scraped down the road. Once again I found myself mentally asking, “Are we there yet?” 
And people think camping is boring!

Anniversaries

Anniversaries are a special time to reminisce and celebrate. This week I have two anniversaries. The first is my salvation birthday. Long ago, April 11, 1977, I sat on the couch with my mother and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. It was the Monday right after Easter and some things at church made me think. Mom patiently answered all my questions and led me to the Lord while my Dad and brother were at church and my baby sister was asleep nearby in her cradle. What a blessed time of year to get to know the Lord on a much more personal level!

The other anniversary I celebrate this week is my wedding anniversary. Our story is very unusual. I was 13 at his high school graduation. When I went through the receiving line to shake hands with all the graduates, there was something electrical happening, or maybe it was spiritual. 

Shortly after I turned 14 we started dating – not something I would suggest for most girls. By the time I was 16 we were engaged – again, not something I would suggest for most girls. Three years later we were married. I can't tell you the amount of flack we took because of our ages and our age difference, although the age difference is not that much. Now, 21 years later, so many people that made fun of us have been married and divorced at least once. What a difference it makes when God is the center of your relationship! No, not everything is always perfect, but he is perfect for me.  
I do know how blessed I was to meet my husband at such a young age. God certainly hand-picked him just for me. God has always been at work in our lives together. It is amazing to look back over the years and be able to connect the dots to see exactly what He has been doing. I am looking forward to the next 21 years with the love of my life!

A long time ago, in a galazy far, far away...
On a completely different note; I had to change my website. Here is the new link, as well as a link to the publisher where I have published my books.
http://ruthoneil.weebly.com/
http://www.pinehavenpress.com/

Embarrassing Moments

One of the joys of being a parent is that your kids get to embarrass you. I know for a fact that I embarrassed my parents on several occasions. Just to name a couple… 
While we were visiting some Civil War sites that were absolutely full of people, I rather loudly and with a serious look on my face, asked my mom, "Was Grant a Confederate?" 
Now this might not see so embarrassing to most parents, but you have to understand mine. My parents were great history buffs, involved in Civil War Skirmishing (which is similar to re-enacting only they shoot at targets not at each other), they worked with historical societies and local schools doing various Civil War programs. THEIR child most definitely should have known that Grant was NOT a Confederate since we ate and breathed the Civil War. 
I believe it was on the same vacation where I caused my mom's face to turn all shades of red for a second time. Due to some plumbing issues, one place we stopped to use the restroom, we were forced to use the men's room. While we were in there, again, it was a very popular place, I just as loudly asked, "How do you tell the difference between a boy and a girl?" I'm sure there were many women behind the doors of those stalls where snickering and trying not to laugh out loud. The sad part about all this is that I remember vividly asking my mom both of these questions. It isn't like I was three years old and didn't know any better. 
But, there's always payback. The tables have now turned and my own children have embarrassed me from time to time. We were in the toy store one day and one of the kids needed to use the restroom. I left the other two standing outside the door since space was cramped. When the child in the bathroom was done, we flushed the toilet and it started making the strangest noise. Then I realized that it wasn't the toilet it was the fire alarm. 
I hurriedly opened the door to see my other two kids standing there, one pointing animatedly at the other. You know those doors that say "Do not open. Alarm will sound"? This is not a lie. An extremely loud alarm will sound. One of my kids, who will remain nameless, had opened the door "just to see what would happen." Several employees came running over thinking someone was trying to leave the building with an armload of toys. "Yup, it was our fault and there's no fire."
Another time I was in the middle of acting in a play performance when one of my kids came running up on stage, followed me around, and sat on my lap when I sat down. I was never so grateful to my High School drama teacher who taught us improv! 
When you have kids, your entire life can run on improvisation. We may try to plan everything out to no avail. But truthfully, those are the moments to remember and enjoy.

Birthday Musings

It's birthday season around here. Many of us dread birthdays simply because we are getting older. Some people are stuck at 39 for way more than one year. What's one way we can make birthdays seem not so bad? Convince our kids that we are younger than we really are.

When my son was about four, I had him completely convinced that I was 22. He would proudly tell anyone that asked exactly how old I was. One year when my birthday fell on a Sunday, one of the leaders I was working with made a big deal out of it. He kept trying to guess my age. My son was sitting on the front row wildly waving his arm.

"Do you know how old your mom is?" the leader asked him.

Without batting an eyelash, my son responded, "22!"

The leader burst out laughing. You see, all anyone who knew me had to do was a little math. Besides my four year old, I also had a nine year old and an 11 year old. I suppose 22 seemed a little ridiculous. But I had my son trained!

Until…

The following summer when the Cuzzie-wuzzies (the cousins) came for their annual week-long visit. We were driving up the mountain to go camping. I was listening to the kids' conversations in the back of the van. (Something I suggest every parent should just for the entertainment value.)

My son began what he thought was teasing me. "My mom is 22. She's old!"

My nephew said, "She is? Wow!"

At first I thought he bought it. However, I should have known better. He was awful quiet back there, which was a sign of some deep thought process going on.

A few minutes later, he says, "But I thought your mom was older than my mom and my mom's 28?"

Drat!
It was good while it lasted. I suppose my son would have eventually figured it out on his own. Now he has no trouble keeping up at all. The only thing I have going for me is that now a lot of people don't think I look as old as I am. I guess I'll have to take what I can get.